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This was an interesting social experiment by Wells. I read that when it came out it was panned by both traditionalists and sufferagettes. It came across very much as Wells trying to figure out the changes in society, social experimentation in the form of his characters. There was a lot of really interesting views about women in this book. The main male character came across as someone who believed very strongly in equality between the sexes, yet because of the nature of the woman he married, he was unable to manage it. She reminded me of the worst of womankind. She was intelligent, she wanted to love, but she just got sucked into consumerism because she had nothing else that was worthwhile in her life. She reminded me a lot of the women you see today with huge credit card debt, wearing the most fashionable clothes and reading glossy magazines and being terribly dull.
The plot followed the meeting of the couple, their marriage, their failures and success and eventually their trip to the wilderness of the snowy norths to get away from it all and find out what really mattered.
More than anything this was a novel about ideas, trying to figure out the changing society, and look at the changing role of women, the nature of marriage and sex. While I definitely didn't agree with everything Mr. Wells wrote in this book it was interesting to see the points he raised and the experiment he was carrying out. Definitely more interesting as social history than literature, it wasn't until the 3 or 4th part that the story became personal. I wish he'd written more first person narrative rather than distancing himself as he often did as he got older. I found his first person stories so touching, and the 3rd person, or the omniscent narrator comes over as just a little condescending at times.
But worth the read.
The plot followed the meeting of the couple, their marriage, their failures and success and eventually their trip to the wilderness of the snowy norths to get away from it all and find out what really mattered.
More than anything this was a novel about ideas, trying to figure out the changing society, and look at the changing role of women, the nature of marriage and sex. While I definitely didn't agree with everything Mr. Wells wrote in this book it was interesting to see the points he raised and the experiment he was carrying out. Definitely more interesting as social history than literature, it wasn't until the 3 or 4th part that the story became personal. I wish he'd written more first person narrative rather than distancing himself as he often did as he got older. I found his first person stories so touching, and the 3rd person, or the omniscent narrator comes over as just a little condescending at times.
But worth the read.
An embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperor of China, : deliver’d by their excellencies Peter de Goyer and Jacob de Keyzer, at His Imperial City of Peking
English Translation by John Ogliby 1673
This is the book I selected for my first attempt at a book of a month feature on the College website. Current displays can be seen here, http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iss/library/spec/bookmonth/ and mine will be up for August. (Being that a book on China seemed appropriate what with the Olympics and all.
It was wonderful getting to read a lovely 17th century book. I read most of it in the original, and then finished up reading online. The book is also available on EBBO http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:eebo&rft_id=xri:eebo:citation:12268734 (if you’re lucky enough to have access to the website).
The book is largely a translation of the Dutch East India Company’s Embassy to China in 1655. This was quite an interesting time to visit China as it was just after the Qing dynasty established itself and throughout the book every time they visit a new city they see the destruction caused by the war and hear tales of the “Tartars” (Manchu) killing and raping everyone. The narrator seems disturbed by this but it doesn’t stop them trying to seek an audience with the new Emperor to secure trading rights. They eventually make it to the Imperial City which is breathtaking in its splendour. They are received, among with envoys from other countries, in a large outside meeting with the Emperor. They do not meet him personally and their efforts to establish free trade are thwarted by the Jesuits, who are residing at court and throuroughly hate the Godless Dutch. They end up leaving with permission to visit Beijing every 8 years, and may or may not be allowed to trade outside Canton in the intervening time. The purpose of the mission was originally viewed as a failure, but shortly afterwards the Dutch and the Qing government joined forces to rid Taiwan of the half-Japanese “pirate” or Ming loyalist, Coxinga (Zheng Chenggong) and trading was resumed until it was deemed inefficient by the end of the 17th century.
In addition to the description of the voyage there is also a description of China, and of the Chinese and Manchu. I was quite surprised by the descriptions as having read much more racist books written much later this one seemed to pride itself on giving a more factual and balanced account, included in which was a description of the fall of the Ming. (Which was a little confusing even to someone who knows the story).
After the end of the translation is included part of Kircher’s book about China. Which includes a mistranslation of a Tang dynasty stele which is supposedly about Christians in China and some rather strange and not very nice things said about Chinese religion and language.
Still on the whole an interesting book to read and one I’m really looking forward to writing about, once I’ve gone through all the secondary literature I can find on the subject.
English Translation by John Ogliby 1673
This is the book I selected for my first attempt at a book of a month feature on the College website. Current displays can be seen here, http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iss/library/spec/bookmonth/ and mine will be up for August. (Being that a book on China seemed appropriate what with the Olympics and all.
It was wonderful getting to read a lovely 17th century book. I read most of it in the original, and then finished up reading online. The book is also available on EBBO http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:eebo&rft_id=xri:eebo:citation:12268734 (if you’re lucky enough to have access to the website).
The book is largely a translation of the Dutch East India Company’s Embassy to China in 1655. This was quite an interesting time to visit China as it was just after the Qing dynasty established itself and throughout the book every time they visit a new city they see the destruction caused by the war and hear tales of the “Tartars” (Manchu) killing and raping everyone. The narrator seems disturbed by this but it doesn’t stop them trying to seek an audience with the new Emperor to secure trading rights. They eventually make it to the Imperial City which is breathtaking in its splendour. They are received, among with envoys from other countries, in a large outside meeting with the Emperor. They do not meet him personally and their efforts to establish free trade are thwarted by the Jesuits, who are residing at court and throuroughly hate the Godless Dutch. They end up leaving with permission to visit Beijing every 8 years, and may or may not be allowed to trade outside Canton in the intervening time. The purpose of the mission was originally viewed as a failure, but shortly afterwards the Dutch and the Qing government joined forces to rid Taiwan of the half-Japanese “pirate” or Ming loyalist, Coxinga (Zheng Chenggong) and trading was resumed until it was deemed inefficient by the end of the 17th century.
In addition to the description of the voyage there is also a description of China, and of the Chinese and Manchu. I was quite surprised by the descriptions as having read much more racist books written much later this one seemed to pride itself on giving a more factual and balanced account, included in which was a description of the fall of the Ming. (Which was a little confusing even to someone who knows the story).
After the end of the translation is included part of Kircher’s book about China. Which includes a mistranslation of a Tang dynasty stele which is supposedly about Christians in China and some rather strange and not very nice things said about Chinese religion and language.
Still on the whole an interesting book to read and one I’m really looking forward to writing about, once I’ve gone through all the secondary literature I can find on the subject.
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